


Rumors

by Deannie



Series: Rumors [1]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1996-04-21
Updated: 1996-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-01 16:25:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1046000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannie/pseuds/Deannie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scully is shocked to hear that rumors are flying about her and AD Skinner when he returns to work after being shot. Post-Piper Maru/Apocrypha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rumors

"Oh, forget Mulder! Look, Fuller said that she--"  


Agent Darson cut off as a certain young redhead stepped into the cafeteria. She walked to the vending machines, patently ignoring the numerous eyes on her, and walked out quietly, as if nothing had happened.  


Still, it irked her. It had been happening for the past week now--conversations shut down as she walked into a room, people cast her these annoying, curious glances... She was well and truly sick of it, and wished that, for once, the FBI rumor mill would just leave her the hell alone.  


She had that vaguely irritated look stuck on her face as she walked back into the basement office. Fox Mulder noticed it immediately. "Something up?"  


"No," she said with a sigh, quickly changing the subject. For all she knew, they were talking about her and Mulder again, and she'd been through that before. "Did you find that Cotrell file yet?"  


"Yeah, it's right--"  


Scully held up a hand as she grabbed for the ringing phone. "Scully."  


"Hey, Dana." Sal Menschner had something up her sleeve--Scully could hear it in her voice. "Up for lunch today?"  


Scully shook her head. This could either be a lot of fun, or pure hell. "Sure. What's up?"  


"I just wanted to ask you something," Sal replied innocently. She was the least innocent person Scully could think of, and the redhead knew she was in trouble.  


"Uh-huh," she replied skeptically. "Why don't you just ask me now?"  


Sal ignored the question. "Crazy's, at 11:30?"  


"Sure. Fine. 11:30," Scully replied shortly, sick of the charade.  


"Okay," Sal signed off brightly. "See ya there."  


"What was that all about?" Mulder asked, as Scully stopped herself from slamming down the phone.  


"My own private mystery," Scully said, relishing the whole idea not one bit.  


* * *  


They were halfway through their salads, and still Sal wouldn't give. Small talk, catching up, but nothing that explained the evil glint in her eye.  


"What?" Scully finally asked, exasperated.  


"What 'what'?" Sal replied, schoolgirl-innocent.  


"If you don't want to become one of your own corpses, Menschner, you'll tell me what this is all about."  


Sal took a sip of her iced tea, her face suddenly serious. "I have to ask you a question."  


"Apparently," Scully returned evenly.  


Her friend remained totally impassive as she asked it. "What are your intentions regarding my godfather?"  


Scully sat stock still for a moment, the question seeping in. When it did, she turned beet-red. With anger, or embarrassment, she couldn't say. "Excuse me?"  


Sal dissolved quickly into laughter. "I'm sorry, Dana," she gasped finally, "but you have just got to see your face!"  


"Sal..." Scully said warningly.  


Her friend calmed down immediately. "Sorry, really. I'm sorry." She was surprised by Scully's expression. "You mean you haven't heard it yet?"  


"Heard what," Scully asked, dreading the answer.  


Sal leaned forward, thoroughly into gossip mode. "Well, apparently, the newest rumors in the FBI involve _you._ "  


"And _Skinner?_ " Scully had a hard time swallowing that.  


Still, Sal nodded sagely, sitting back, and lifting her tea to her mouth again. "Yep. Seems you made quite an impression on someone when Walt was in the hospital."  


Scully turned red again--this time, she was sure it was anger. "I'm going to _kill_ Fuller."  


"Fuller didn't start it, actually--though he did provide his fair share," Sal replied sedately. "Agent Caleca was very interested in your concern for the esteemed Assistant Director."  


Scully steamed for a minute before she could respond. "Damnit." She leaned into the table. "What's the best way to kill her?"  


Sal smiled over her glass. "Yeah, Walt's pretty pissed off, too."  


"Oh, God. He's heard it?"  


Sal grinned, affecting a great Shadow imitation. "Nothing is hidden from... the Terror!" Scully was not impressed. "Oh, come on, Dana," Sal said, laying a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "It'll blow over soon." Her sympathetic smile turned cruel. "Besides, I don't think Caleca's going to be doing a whole lot of gossiping for the next few weeks."  


"Why not?"  


Sal broke into a full grin. "Walt found a case that she was _perfect_ for--in Seattle."  


Scully almost smiled at that, sobering suddenly as she thought about what her superior was hearing. "So, he's pissed, huh?"  


Sal nodded, a strange look on her face. "Sort of."  


"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"  


"Well... I mean, you are a good looking woman, Dana."  


Scully almost choked on her root beer. "You can't be serious! He's--"  


"Nowhere near old enough to be _too_ old, Dana," Sal interrupted, her back up slightly. "He's only fifteen years older than you are, you know?"  


"He's also my _superior,_ " Scully replied. "God, he's almost _everyone's_ superior!"  


"Which means he could shut them all up if he wanted to," Sal said enigmatically.  


Scully just stared. Sal knew her godfather better than most. Was she really saying that he...  


"He was really touched by your coming to see him, Dana," Sal said quietly. "Not many others did, you know?"  


Not surprising. It was kind of intimidating to go on a get well visit to see your boss--or your boss's boss. Still, Scully had never thought of it that way. Maybe because she and Mulder had been called in to see him so often... They were such a thorn in his side. Maybe she just felt like she could trust him--boss or no. And with trust came... affection? Maybe. Certainly respect...  


She clamped down on _that_ thought process. No way she was going to try to figure it out. Let her stay in the dark about her feelings-- _his_ feelings... This was one Pandora's box that she wanted left unopened. And preferably buried at the bottom of the sea.  


Sal watched her friend's face, as it displayed a number of different emotions. She'd seen almost the same set go across her godfather's face, just a week before.  


   


>   
> 
> 
> She'd come in shortly after he'd had some discussion or other with Dana, and he was still bothered by it. He was afraid for her--afraid of what kind of trouble her anger might get her into. He didn't want to see her get hurt. And whether it was because he respected her as his agent, cared for her as his friend, or was worried because he loved her, Sal felt sure he'd be completely unable to say. 

  


   


Not that it mattered, Sal decided, as she saw Scully shut down the series of thoughts darting through her head. Dana wouldn't make a move. Walt wouldn't make a move. Neither of them would ever have to deal with it. Still... She smiled. It made for great gossip!  


Scully was quiet all afternoon, ruminating. Mulder had been worried, at first, but she seemed okay, just lost in thought. She left at six, heading for home. The one person she had hoped not to run into was Walter Skinner.  


But there he was, crutch in hand, fumbling for his keys. Scully knew that, given the rumors, she should just bid him goodnight, and walk on--or not bid him goodnight at all.  


She just couldn't do it. He shouldn't be driving, anyway. Five days out of the hospital, second day back to work. Why the hell hadn't he thought to take a cab? And he really was fumbling for his keys. Why he'd thought to put them into his left hand pocket when that was the side the crutch was on...  


"Sir," she said quietly, coming up to him, and watching, a little guilty, as he scanned the area with wary eyes. He looked tired, and that was just about the last straw for her. Forget the rumors, forget what it looked like...  


"You shouldn't even be back at work, much less _driving_ in your condition. Can I give you a ride?"  


Walter Skinner looked down at her, those mixed emotions he'd felt when she'd told him about the shooter surfacing again. Regardless of _how_ he cared for her, he _did_ care, and he'd never worried about popular opinion before.  


The smile he gave her made her feel a little better. She was sorry that her worry over him had caused such a flurry of gossip, but he didn't seem to care _too_ much.  


"I could use one, Agent Scully. Thank you."  


* * *  


Dana Scully sat in her living room that night, thinking. She wasn't thinking about Skinner, much to her surprise. Tonight, she was thinking about Jack, a man who had been her teacher, a man who had wanted to become more. She had always thought of him as a mentor, a teacher. She had never used the word friend for him--it never seemed to fit. As it would never fit Skinner...  


But one day, she had realized that Jack was more than a teacher, much more. And Walter Skinner...?  


She sighed. A thought to ponder another day.  


Still...  


* * *  
The End  



End file.
